


Connections

by Jena Bartley (jenab)



Category: Alias (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-10
Updated: 2014-07-10
Packaged: 2018-02-05 15:32:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1823461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenab/pseuds/Jena%20Bartley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the aftermath of Sydney’s death, Jack and Will forge a new connection</p>
            </blockquote>





	Connections

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to [](http://karaokegal.livejournal.com/profile)[**karaokegal**](http://karaokegal.livejournal.com/) for the beta.
> 
> Written for [](http://yahtzee63.livejournal.com/profile)[**yahtzee63**](http://yahtzee63.livejournal.com/) who won me in the [](http://help-haiti.livejournal.com/profile)[**help_haiti**](http://help-haiti.livejournal.com/) auction

“I need something to do before I go crazy.”

Jack looked up from his desk at Will Tippin standing on the other side. Behind him, the Los Angeles field office of the CIA hummed with activity as people moved about.

He focused on Will, taking in the shadows under his eyes, the loose fit of the clothing hanging off his tall frame. The pinched look on his face, hinted at residual pain from his knife wound. He fidgeted a bit as he stood there in front of Jack.

“Everyone is treating me as though I’m going to fall apart any minute. I’m tired of being debriefed and no one is willing to give me anything worth while to work on.”

Jack stared at Will, easily holding his gaze. Finally, Jack looked away, reaching for the stack of files sitting on his desk. He pulled one out from the bottom and handed it to Will.

“I need an analysis on this by tomorrow morning.”

Will nodded gratefully. Jack watched him walk back to his desk, his step seeming a little lighter. As he followed Will’s progress, Jack spotted the desk across Weiss’s, where Vaughn sat, staring off into space. Jack watched him for a long moment, as Vaughn finally looked at the computer. Weiss was watching him, concern in his eyes.

In the morning, Will’s analysis was on Jack’s desk. It wasn’t not quite up to Will’s usual solid work but still good, especially considering what Will had recently been through. Jack forwarded it to Dixon and set up a meeting for later to take action. He left another file on Will’s desk, Jack’s top priority.

Several hours later, Will asked him for a meeting. Jack took him to a small out of the way conference room.

“You’re going after Sydney’s killer.” Statement not question. Jack stood still, waiting.

“I want in. I want to find out who killed her.”

Jack studied him, seeing the echoes of sleepless nights and lingering pain in Will’s body. He also saw the stubborn set to Will’s jaw. Knowing Will’s past when he was investigating Danny’s death, if Jack excluded him from basic research, Will could possibly try to go further on his own.

“Fine. Just a warning. This hunt is currently sanctioned by the CIA but that may change. What won’t change is my desire to find Sydney’s killer.”

Will’s lips curled up ward in a tiny smile. “I know. I also know this won’t be the first time you’ve done stuff not sanctioned by the CIA.”

Jack didn’t return Will’s smile, only gave him a brief nod because Will had also been part of one of Jack’s rogue missions.

As he headed back out to the offices, Jack noticed Vaughn at his desk, looking red eyed with his hair mussed and clothes rumbled. Weiss sat across from him, voice pitched low as he talked to his friend. Signs of grief over Sydney’s death filled the faces of those who had worked with her. Vaughn’s grief was deeply etched in the lines of his face and the lost look in his eyes.

Jack continued pass them. He’d been watching Vaughn over the past few weeks, seeing increasing signs that Vaughn might be turning to alcohol to cope. It was what Jack had done after Irina’s betrayal. As much as he wasn’t fond of Vaughn’s personal interest in Sydney, Jack could sympathize. With Weiss hovering over him, it might stop Vaughn from losing himself completely in a bottle.

Perhaps that was why Jack had included Will in his search for Sydney’s killer. Will had lost both Sydney and Francie, along with his home, leaving him alone. Will loved Sydney and, like Vaughn, mourned her loss deeply. On top of that, Will had to deal with the knowledge that his other friend and lover had turned out to be an imposter who tried to kill him. He had not turned to alcohol the way Vaughn seemed to be, nor was he growing into the distant man Jack had become after Irina’s betrayal. According to the psych evaluations, Will was plagued by nightmares and other symptoms of PTSD but Jack could see the same strength that helped Will deal with Taipei last year. With all of that, Will needed someone to keep an eye on him.

*********

 

“Could Sydney still be alive?” Will’s voice was hushed, hesitant in the quietness of the car.

Jack stared out the window, hands steady on the steering wheel as he navigated the wet streets of night-time LA. He glanced over at Will, who was starting straight ahead.

“There was nothing left but ashes in the ruins. DNA had to be used to identify her,-” he recited. He knew the words by heart. It hurts to even remember seeing the house as nothing more than a burnt out shell and the agony of waiting for the results to know if Sydney was still alive or not. He’d spent a lot of time alternating between the hospital where Will had been on life support and the office, trying to track down any new information about the fire or what had preceded it.

“But could there be a chance she might alive.”

“Why do you think she might be?

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack watched Will fidget before taking a deep breath.

“Francie, I, I mean the woman pretending to be Francie looked so much like her right down to her genetics and mannerisms. It really looked and felt like Francie. I came across a reference to human cloning people in a file but I couldn’t find out anything more. I just thought if they could do that, could create a double of Francie that there was a chance that it was a very good fake of Sydney being killed.”

Jack pulled the car into the underground parking of the apartment the CIA had provided for Will. He turned off the motor and sat quietly for a long moment, listening to the sounds of the cooling engine and Will’s steady breathing.

He’d wondered how long it would take Will to ask such a question. Will possessed several traits that Jack looked for in any potential recruit to the CIA. It was only because Will was one of Sydney’s closets friends that Jack had never offered up the possibility of operative training.

“There is always a possibility of her being alive.”

Jack got out of the car, Will following him. They were both quiet as they rode the elevator up to Will’s apartment. Will stood inside the doorway while Jack thoroughly searched the place, making sure it was safe and secure. There were other agents who could have driven Will home but Jack had made a point of doing it himself.

He came back out to find Will leaning against the wall, looking tired.

“Dixon and Weiss have both mentioned I should seriously consider going into Witness Protection.”

“Dixon did mention that to me. He also mentioned you said no. I’m assuming that’s why you were asking about the chances of Sydney being still alive.”

Will ran one hand through already dishevel hair. “Yeah. I can’t just disappear on her if she really is out there somewhere. Vaughn’s a mess. Francie is dead. Who will be here for her if she’s still alive? I know you’re her father, but the two of you are not exactly close.”

Jack didn’t take offense at Will’s words. He knew exactly what type of father he’d become to Sydney over the years. As much as he’s come to terms with that, it still stings when it is pointed it out.

Will sighed, straightening up from the wall. “Exactly how much danger am I in? Is it bad enough to go into WitSec?”

Jack didn’t speak. It would be better for Will to go. Safer, give him a chance to live his life without having to look over his shoulder all the time. Except, Jack didn’t want Will to go. He wanted Will to stay. Will was becoming the closest thing he had to a friend at the moment.

“Chatter has been picked up involving you. Probably to find out if you knew about the double agent or what you have been working on with the CIA. Nothing concrete right now, but the threats are real.”

“Can you teach me to protect myself, to know if someone is following me?”

“Yes.”

*********

 

“Again.”

Will’s hands moved over the gun, reassembling it under Jack’s gaze. His hands had grown more sure, over the past few weeks, progressing from early fumbling to smooth efficiency.

Jack had responded to Will’s request by personally training Will himself until the pull of a trigger and the recoil of the gun had become second nature. Now Will was capable of taking apart a gun and reassembling it in under thirty seconds.

There were cartons of Chinese take-out scattered across the table amidst the gun oil and cleaning supplies. The CIA hadn’t yet given permission for Will to start looking for a new place of his own. There were still murmurs of possible repercussions against Will. Jack knew Will was starting to grow restless under the restraints place on him.

Will had thrown himself in to learning everything Jack had to teach him about how to handle a gun, or spotting a tail. When Will’s wounds had healed more, Jack planned on turning him over to a trusted instructor for training in hand to hand combat.

Sitting here, with nothing more than the sound of a gun being put together and the remains of their dinner set to one side, Jack found himself enjoying the company. As Jack followed leads in trying to track down Sydney’s killer, he coached Will to do the same. Some of the skills Will used as a journalist proving useful while others Jack had to teach him. This had gone beyond looking out for Will because he was one of Sydney’s best friends. They had grown comfortable with each other, slowly learning how to work together.

The gun snapped into place, Will sliding a magazine in and the safety on before laying it on the table. He looked up at Jack. Jack clicked the stop watch, pleased with Will’s time. He nodded at Will.

Will set the gun aside, safety on. He started to gather up the empty cartons. Jack sat back, watching him, sensing something on Will’s mind.

“How did you deal with finding out your wife was a spy?” Will asked, not looking at Jack.

Jack stayed quite for a long time. Will was still moving about as he cleaned up, waiting for Jack to answer or not.

“Don’t let it consume you.” Jack kept his voice steady, hearing an edge to it as he responded to Will’s question.

Will looked over at him, Jack getting a glimpse past the strong, driven man that had come out of the hospital to the man struggling with grief and betrayal by someone he cared for. Will’s eyes searched Jack’s for a long moment, Jack holding his gaze, knowing Will understood what he wasn’t saying.

_Don’t let it change you the way I did and become a distant father, someone who became cold._

Jack picked up a file he’d brought with him. He handed it to Will. Will took it, flipping it open, His eyes widened as he read through it, before looking up at Jack. Jack nodded.

“Sydney’s alive.”

**********

Will had nightmares. About being attacked. About his lover turning on him and losing his closest friend. Jack knows how long such nightmares stay with a person. He’d also been jarred awake a few times from Will’s thrashing.

Jack lay awake in bed, the lights from Moscow at night, spilling around the edges of the drawn curtains. He listened to the squeak of bedsprings and Will’s muffled shouts. Listened to the sudden quiet followed by the soft padding of bare feet on hardwood. The sound stopped in his open doorway. Jack didn’t say anything, only pulling the covers aside. Will moved, slipping into Jack’s bed. Jack shifted, pushing Will back down on the bed, his mouth hard on Will’s as Will clutched at him.

 

**********

In the morning, with Will still sleeping in bed behind him, Jack opened his laptop, downloading the video from one of the cameras he had placed inside a Russian diplomat’s office. An old contact had led him to this man who might know what happened to Sydney.

He clicked a key and the video started playing. Andrean Lazarey stood up from his desk, greeting a woman with long blonde hair, both of them kissing each other’s cheeks. The woman turned towards the hidden camera and Jack’s breath caught.

Sydney faced him, alive and healthy. Something lifted from Jack’s chest as he watched his daughter, proof of her alive right in front of him. That relief changed to anguish as he watched Sydney murder Lazarey in cold blood. The video continued to play as Sydney left the office, leaving Lazarey lying in a pool of his own blood.

Jack’s hand shook as he shut the video off and immediate saved it to a private and secure web server. He stared at the blank screen for a long time, until the sound of Will waking up drew his attention.

“Jack.” Will had scooted to the end of the bed, sleep fused with hope in his eyes as he glanced at the laptop. “Any luck from the cameras?”

Jack shook his head, carefully composing his features. “Sydney is dead.”

Will stared at him, the hope slowly dying as he tried to read Jack. He turned to the laptop, reaching out to turn on the video. Jack intercepted his hand.

“It would be better not to see that, Will. She didn’t die easily.” Jack kept his voice soft, one hand reaching out to rest on Will’s shoulder as the lies came easily.

It was better this way. Better for Will to believe she was dead and not seeing what had really happened. At least not until Jack figured out what was going on. There was something else happening. Something that Jack would have to go very deep to uncover. And as Will’s body crumpled in grief, Jack knew this was as far as Will could go.

Whatever had happened to Sydney, she would need Will to help her out in the end. She would need her friend and not the operative that Jack was slowly training Will to be.

“There’s more.” Jack murmured, watching as Will struggled to pull himself together. “The threats against you are real. You’re the next target. They want to find out what you knew about the fake Francie. You’re going to have to go into Wit Sec now.”

As much as Jack wanted to keep Will with him, Jack knew the better option was to put Will somewhere safe until Jack could bring back Sydney. Sydney was going to need Will far more than Jack did.

Jack knew of a handler in the Witness Protection program that could be trusted completely. He would place Will under his care while he looked for Sydney and find out what happened to force his daughter to commit murder.

Later, after seeing a devastated Will turned over to the Wit Sec program, Jack pulled up a private message to an account that had been set up over a year ago for emergency purposes.

In bold capital letters he sent out the message.

“Our daughter is alive.”

Jack sat back and waited for Irina to respond.


End file.
